Supply teacher deck · English · Year 8

Structuring and Punctuating a Speech on Local Library Hours

Worksheet Stimulus Worked example
Slide 1 of 7
05:00

Slide 1 of 7 · Settling starter · English · Year 8

5 minutes

Structuring and Punctuating a Speech on Local Library Hours

When residents submit comments to an online council consultation, poor punctuation and muddled figures make strong arguments easy to ignore. Today you will edit a draft submission and write a persuasive speech to keep Aberpennar Library open after school.

While the register is called: write your name, class and date on your worksheet, then read the council proposal at the top of the stimulus sheet and answer the starter question in rough.

Starter question: Look at this unpunctuated line from the draft submission: Where will pupils go when the doors shut at 1530. Which two punctuation marks are missing?

LNF: Literacy → Writing → Punctuation No computers needed · work on your sheet

Slide 2 of 7 · Today’s brief and key words · English · Year 8

5 minutes

Your brief: punctuation for clarity and persuasive impact

The local council proposes closing Aberpennar Library at 15:30 instead of 17:30 on weekdays. You will fix 12 punctuation errors in a rushed online draft, check the library usage data, and write a structured 4-paragraph consultation speech.

Colon ( : )

Introduces a list, an explanation or a dramatic point after a complete main clause.

Semicolon ( ; )

Links two closely related main clauses without using and or but.

Apostrophe ( ’ )

Shows possession (the library’s computers, pupils’ homework) or contraction (it’s vs possessive its).

DCF: Producing → Evaluating and improving digital content Check the punctuation guide on the stimulus sheet

Slide 3 of 7 · Step 1: fix 12 punctuation errors · English · Year 8

10 minutes

Step 1: restore colons, semicolons, apostrophes and question marks

Read the unpunctuated online draft in Part B of the stimulus sheet. Find and correct all 12 numbered errors in the table on your worksheet.

Error in draft Corrected wording Why this mark is needed
1. the councils plan the council’s plan Singular possessive apostrophe (the plan belonging to one council).
2. three vital things quiet desks, free Wi-Fi and... three vital things: quiet desks, free Wi-Fi and... A colon introduces a list after a complete clause.
Step 1 on your worksheet · 10 minutes All 12 errors are numbered [1] to [12] in the draft

Slide 4 of 7 · Step 2: check the council’s usage table · English · Year 8

10 minutes

Step 2: extract persuasive evidence from the usage table

Read Part A of the stimulus sheet. Check the figures for the after-school slot (15:30 to 17:30) so you can back up your speech with hard evidence.

Key statistic in Part A: Between 15:30 and 17:30 on weekdays, 480 out of 750 weekly book borrows (64%) are made by under-16s.

Computer use: 38 out of 40 homework computer bookings (95%) each week happen between 15:30 and 17:30 because pupils are in school until 15:15.

Savings vs impact: Closing at 15:30 saves only £4,200 a year, while solar panels on the roof would save £4,500 a year without cutting a single hour.

Step 2 on your worksheet · 10 minutes Turn these exact figures into punctuated sentences

Slide 5 of 7 · Steps 3 and 4: plan and write your speech · English · Year 8

12 minutes

Step 3 & Step 4: write your 4-paragraph consultation speech

Follow the 4-paragraph structure in Step 3 to write a polished consultation speech of 140 to 180 words in Step 4.

Paragraph 1 (Opening hook): State your position clearly and ask a rhetorical question ending with ?.

Paragraph 2 (Data evidence): Quote the 64% (480 of 750 borrows) and 95% computer use between 15:30 and 17:30, using a colon : to introduce your evidence.

Paragraph 3 (Impact on pupils): Explain why 15:15 school finish makes 15:30 closure unfair, using a semicolon ; and possessive apostrophes (pupils’, library’s).

Paragraph 4 (Alternative & call to action): Propose the £4,500 solar panel saving instead of the £4,200 cut.

Steps 3 and 4 on your worksheet · 12 minutes Use formal language and circle your colons and semicolons

Slide 6 of 7 · Self and partner check · English · Year 8

5 minutes

Proofread your speech against the success criteria

Read your speech aloud in a quiet whisper to test where each sentence pauses, then check every item below:

  • Have you fixed all 12 punctuation errors in Step 1 (including pupils’ and its)?
  • Does your speech include the 64% under-16 borrowing figure and the 15:30 to 17:30 time slot?
  • Have you used at least one colon (:), one semicolon (;) and one question mark (?) accurately?
  • Is the tone formal and persuasive (no slang or multiple exclamation marks)?
5 minutes · self and partner check Try the extension task if you finish early

Slide 7 of 7 · Plenary review · English · Year 8

3 minutes

Quick-check answers before handing in

Check these three key answers before your worksheets are collected.

Question Correct answer
Why is pupils’ homework punctuated with the apostrophe after the s? Because the homework belongs to more than one pupil (plural noun ending in s).
What percentage of 15:30 to 17:30 borrows are by under-16s? 64% (480 out of 750 borrows).
Why does its doors have no apostrophe? Possessive its never takes an apostrophe (it’s means it is or it has).
Check your name and class are on your worksheet Hand in worksheets · stack stimulus sheets neatly